Vet and SPCA cautiously supportive of TNR program

Dr. Sherri Coldwell is with the Parade Street Animal Hospital in Yarmouth and also provides satellite service to the Little Brook clinic in Clare.

She says the ethics code of the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association does not allow veterinarians to run societies but that their clinic would offer services at the same rate they charge the SPCA and other feral cat societies.”

“The individuals involved will need to be consistent and forthright to guard against abuse by people who have become pet owners of strays,” she said.

The clinic already provides reduced rate service to the Clare Feral Friends, Yarmouth SPCA, and La Baie SPCA. These societies have one or two individuals that the clinic deals with.

“We must stress that these benefits are for feral cats only, not cats that have been acquired by individuals as strays or by other compassionate ways. As a business, it is our choice to provide these services. We do it for similar reasons as do these societies. However, we have to keep our business healthy, and also must guard against abuse of

this service or these privileges will be lost,” said Coldwell.

She also wants to issue a disclaimer regarding a statement made by Sue Hutchins, an advocate for TNR in the area. A year and a half ago their clinic offered the SPCA fee to spay/neuter feral cats, not provide one free spay a week as Hutchins understood.

“That was the only proposal we offered,” said Coldwell.

Much planning and recruitment needs to be done before a TNR group will be ready to bring in feral cats says Coldwell.

“When they (or a similar venture) are ready, our offer stands as described above. That said, we need to point out that duplicate societies would not be supported and if the possibility arises, a melding would be necessary to satisfy their needs,” she said.

A spokesperson for Tri-County Veterinarian Services said they did not want to comment on TNR.

Yarmouth SPCA president Frieda Perry says they are all for a TNR program in the area, however she sees the group as facing a serious challenge.

“We’ve donated live traps to them and we give them any food we can’t use,” she said.

“We’re in favour of the program but I’m concerned with the challenges they are going to face because of the occurrence of feline leukemia. I know they are going to be in a situation where they trap these cats and they take them to the vets to have them tested and I know many of them are going to be feline leukemia positive but then they are going to be faced with the cost and the decision of the euthanizing them.

“I just worry about the challenges they are facing.”

A meeting for those interested in helping to develop the TNR program locally will be held at the Western Counties Regional Library on Main Street on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m.